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Goldman Sachs records close to $1 billion in impairments, causing a 60% drop in profits

Bank experiences financial setbacks due to commercial real estate investments and GreenSky, posting the lowest net profit over a three-month period in the past 3 years.

Goldman incurs close to $1 billion in charges due to declining asset valuations, leading to a 60%...
Goldman incurs close to $1 billion in charges due to declining asset valuations, leading to a 60% decrease in profits.

Goldman Sachs records close to $1 billion in impairments, causing a 60% drop in profits

In a recent development, Goldman Sachs, one of the world's leading investment banks, released its second-quarter earnings report on Wednesday. Despite the challenging market conditions, the bank managed to post its earnings, shedding light on its performance in the past few months.

The report revealed that Goldman Sachs' net income dropped nearly 60% year-over-year, to $1.22 billion. This decline was largely attributed to a $504 million impairment related to home-improvement lender GreenSky and another $485 million in impairments connected to real estate investments.

Operating expenses at Goldman Sachs grew by 12% to $8.54 billion, indicating a significant increase in the bank's operational costs. This rise could be due to various factors, including increased investments in technology and staffing.

In a positive note, CEO David Solomon remained optimistic in his prepared statement on Wednesday. He highlighted that the bank remained #1 in completed M&A, despite the roughly 38% decline in dealmaking that the overall industry has seen so far this year.

However, Randy Frederick, managing director of trading and derivatives at Charles Schwab, suggested that Goldman Sachs missed its target for the second-quarter earnings. He stated that the bank's earnings were an outlier compared to other major banks.

The second-quarter earnings report marked the lowest three-month profit total for Goldman Sachs in three years, according to the Financial Times. This decline comes after the bank reportedly lost more than $3 billion since 2020, as reported in January.

In recent months, there have been reports of Apollo Global Management attempting to acquire the controversial GreenSky company, which was announced by Goldman Sachs. However, it was not mentioned in the provided paragraph that Goldman Sachs is seeking a buyer for its GreenSky unit.

Despite the challenges, Goldman Sachs' investment banking revenue fell by about 20%. This decline could be due to various factors, including the overall market conditions and the bank's strategic decisions.

The bank has undergone three rounds of layoffs in the past year, but it was not mentioned in the provided paragraph that these layoffs are new facts. These layoffs were likely aimed at reducing costs and improving the bank's overall efficiency.

Overall, Goldman Sachs' second-quarter earnings report provides a snapshot of the bank's performance in a challenging market environment. The bank continues to navigate through these difficulties, with a focus on maintaining its leading position in the industry.

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